Lucy Jones, Registered Nutritionist for Yakult, shares her insights into the gut-brain connection and the daily, gut-friendly habit we should all take up.
For many people, stress can show itself via the gut, whether it appears as bloating, cramps, nausea, or changes in bowel habits. Over time, this can alter gut bacteria and impact how effectively the gut and brain communicate.
While you should always speak with your GP when it comes to your own health concerns, we wanted to speak with a Registered Nutritionist to find out a little more about how our gut can generally affect our overall health.
Why is the gut referred to as 'the second brain'?
"The gut is often called the body's "second brain" because the gut and brain are constantly in communication through the gut-brain axis. This is a two-way connection, meaning our gut can influence our brain, while stress and emotions can also affect digestion. Phrases such as 'butterflies in the stomach' reflect a very real connection between how our brain can influence our gut."
There are a lot of 'detoxes' being marketed to people - does our gut really need a cleanse?
Most healthy people do not need a gut cleanse or detox. Our bodies already have systems designed to support gut health and remove waste naturally.
Practices such as colonic irrigation can temporarily disrupt the delicate ecosystem within the gut microbiome. Imbalances within the gut microbiome may increase the chance of developing adverse digestive symptoms.
Research on juice cleanses doesn't prove favourable either. One small study found that a three-day juice cleanse didn’t significantly improve gut health, and some of the bacterial changes in the gut microbiome that were observed were adversely linked with inflammation and gut permeability.
Rather than focusing on quick-fix detoxes, the best way to support gut health is through consistent daily habits, such as eating enough fibre, adding fermented foods, staying hydrated and eating a varied diet.
Is there one habit or food you would like people to introduce as a daily habit?
One simple gut-friendly habit I’d encourage people to introduce is asking themselves: "How can I add another plant to this meal?" Eating a wide variety of plant foods is linked to greater diversity in the gut microbiome, which is associated with better overall health.
Plants include fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. So this could look like sprinkling seeds onto breakfast, adding chopped fresh herbs to lunchtime salads, and adding a tin of chickpeas to dinner.
From your perspective, what’s the most common misconception people have about "healing" or "resetting" the gut?
The most common misconception about "healing" or "resetting" the gut is that your approach needs to be complicated or extreme. In reality, most people would see beneficial changes to their gut by focusing on the basics.
Foundational habits are important - things like consistently eating enough fibre, staying hydrated, including a wide variety of plant foods across the week, and managing stress.
How much impact can small interventions like breathing techniques or short walks realistically have on gut function versus longer-term diet and lifestyle changes?
Habits like breathing techniques and short walks can have a positive impact on the gut-brain axis, mainly by helping to reduce stress. Due to the brain-gut axis connection, keeping on top of stress can positively impact gut function.
Whilst these "in the moment" tools can have a positive effect, they shouldn’t be used in place of longer-term habits that nourish the gut. A healthy, balanced diet packed with fibre, plants and fermented foods, regular exercise and good sleep remain fundamental for good gut health, alongside stress management.
For further information, tips from Lucy Jones, and a specially curated Spotify playlist designed to help you unwind, visit https://www.yakult.ie/gut-stress/
